The DH has been traveling a lot for his job lately, and been gone from home and missing out on good home cooked meals. So when he got home relatively early the other night, I wanted to make him something tasty and healthy to make up for all the meals he’d been skipping or having at restaurants. We had a pot of quinoa I had cooked for lunch, so I thought I’d do something simple involving pasta sauce, beans, cheese and a microwave. What can I say, I wanted to spend time with the guy and not just spend all night in the kitchen. As I started adding ingredients to my quinoa, I got inspired. What If I put in the basic ingredients I’d had in mind, but instead of microwaving them, I made quinoa burgers on the stove? It wouldn’t take much extra time and would taste so much better. Of course, being me, I couldn’t just stop there, and I ended up making the vegetarian burgers, two sauces, and serving them on La Tortilla Factory Sonoma Corn Tortillas with some organic lettuce. Homemade tortillas would have been better, but if you can’t make them, those are the best pre-made tortillas I’ve found. They are even a little larger than normal ol’ Mission corn tortillas. Anyway, I digress. So I dragged the DH to the table and made him have a real, home cooked meal for the first time in far too long. And guess what? He loved it! I could tell by the way he kept going back for seconds, and how he said, “Hey! I would order this at a restaurant, on purpose!” And he told me to make it again, anytime, as he was spooning his third serving of avocado dressing on his burger. Funny, I thinned out the avocado with mayonnaise simply because I didn’t have enough avocado to make a full recipe without it, and the DH raved and raved about it. Boys.

The burgers are delicate when they are hot, so make sure they have a nice golden crust before turning them. They solidify and get very sturdy once they are cooled in the refrigerator, and become softer again once they get very hot again. Basically, I think it is due to the cheese (or un-cheese) which helps bind them together melting and then solidifying.

They are great on corn tortillas, would be delicious in a gluten-free hamburger bun, and were completely lovely as a breakfast “burger” served with a side of hash browns. This recipe was just something I threw together on a whim, but it was such a success that I can see it going on our regular menu rotation. A great way to use leftover quinoa!

Why is it that Baby Yum always steals my food in the middle of a photo session? I had to chase her around the kitchen in circles to get this quinoa burger back. Silly Baby, all she has to do is ask and I’ll give her some!

Breaking Gluten-free News: Speaking of burgers and sandwiches, did you hear that Subway is testing a gluten-free bun option in their Texas stores? Reportedly the bun is manufactured off-site in a gluten-free facility, comes in a sealed plastic bag and they use a single-use knife to cut the bun. Despite efforts to train staff in cross-contamination issues, I’m skeptical that they will be able to provide a truly gluten-free product. The condiments and any sandwich fillings will surely be contaminated, don’t you think? Besides, the bread smell alone in that place makes me feel queasy, personally. Nevertheless, at least another mainstream corporation is thinking about catering to gluten-free customers, which can only be a good thing. I just hope they don’t end up causing more harm than good by doing it improperly.

Prepare a large baking sheet with a layer of parchment paper, if you have the latter. The paper is optional but makes life easier. Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine quinoa, beans, and tomato in a medium-large bowl. Stir with your hands or a large spoon, mashing the beans a little if possible. Create a well in the mixture for the egg or flax “egg” and use a fork to whisk whites into the yolk. Fold the egg or flax “egg” into the mixture and combine thoroughly. Microwave briefly or cook your corn so it is no longer frozen and stir into your mixture along with the minced green onion. Sprinkle with half of your flour and fold in. Add your second half of the flour and combine. Sprinkle with cheese or un-cheese and mix it so it is evenly distributed throughout. Add cilantro, fold together one final time. See if you can create a patty with the mixture. If it is too wet, add a little more flour.

On medium-high, heat enough oil in a nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron pan to cover the bottom of the pan. Carefully add enough medium-size patties, one at a time, to cover the bottom of the pan and not have them touching each other. I had two full batches. Fry until each patty has a golden-brown crust on the bottom and then carefully turn over. Cook second side until golden brown.

Carefully remove first batch to your baking sheet and put in oven. Let bake while you make the second batch in your skillet, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve while the second batch is in the oven, if you like.

Enjoy!

Notes

We served these on tortillas with lettuce, red pepper pico de gallo, and avocado dressing. DH LOVED them, and I did too. Yum!

1 roma tomato (organic preferred)1/4 of a red or yellow pepper OR handful of mini peppers1 or 2 green onionsdash of fresh lime or lemon juice1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (or less, to taste)salt to tastedash of pepper or California pepper

Directions

Mince your roma tomato and discard the watery pulp. Put the nice minced pieces in a small bowl. Mince your red or yellow pepper OR your mini peppers- I got a big bag of adorable mini yellow and red peppers from Costco in a bid to get Baby Yum eating more veggies and have been putting them in everything. Mix peppers into the bowl with tomato and sprinkle with salt. Mince your green onions and add them to the party. You can use less or more, to taste. Use more if you will be eating the pico de gallo soon, and use less if you are going to let it sit overnight or for at least a half hour. It becomes even more delicious the next day, and flavors of raw ingredients mellow. Squeeze a bit of juice from a fresh lime or lemon on top of the mixture and mix together. Finely mince your cilantro and add to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and fold ingredients together. Let it sit. Refrigerate in a sealed container if you are going to leave it longer than half an hour or overnight. Use on something delicious.

Rating:9

Original Source:The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission.

One of my favorite breads has to be cornbread. Something about that faintly sweet, almost nutty corn flavor says homey comfort food to me. When I first went dairy and soy free to breast feed my daughter, I was happy to find that I could still have Pamela’s gluten-free cornbread mix. I had always heard about people making cornbread stuffing for winter holidays, but had never made any myself. I was inspired by the season to make this delicious, easy, and completely vegetarian cornbread stuffing. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Your favorite gluten-free cornbread recipe (if vegan, recipe will be vegan -dairy and egg free-)OR1 pkg. Pamela’s Cornbread and Muffin Mix*(not suitable for someone with serious allergy to soy or milk as it is produced on the same lines. However, it does not contain soy or milk ingredients)1/4 cup sugar8 tbsp. olive oil2 eggs1 cup water

Make cornbread the day before you plan to make your stuffing according to directions for sweet cornbread but using my ingredients. Or, make a few hours beforehand. Cool on rack and cut into cubes. I cut 1 inch cubes and think smaller ones might be better- like 1/2 inch cubes. Dry cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer in 250F oven, turning after 20 or 30 minutes and continuing to bake another 30 minutes or until satisfactorily dry.

Preheat oven to 375Place pecans on a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with salt and sugar. Place in oven and remove when they start to brown and release their fragrance. (10 minutes or so)

Heat olive oil in cast iron pan and add onion. As it starts to get translucent add diced carrots. When they start to lose their “bite” and get slightly softened, add your corn, fresh herbs (not including basil), paprika and Italian seasonings, combining thoroughly. As soon as corn is done, put your dried cornbread cubes in a bowl and pour the sauteed veggies and herbs on top of them. Mix gently, and add your fresh basil, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper. Fold in and then moisten with vegetable stock until it is moist but not soggy. Return to your cast iron pan and bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 5-10 minutes if you want a tasty toasty crust. Top with pecans and serve.

Rating:9

Original Source:inspired by various recipes online, but my original creation. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thanks!